Interview & Giveaway with Tara Lain

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Tara Lain to the blog today to talk about her new books.

Tara Lain never met a beautiful boy she didn’t love – at least on paper. A writer of erotic romance, mostly ménage and male/male, Tara loves all her characters, but especially her handsome heroes. A lifelong writer of serious non-fiction, Tara only fell in love with EROM in 2009 and, through perseverance and lots of workshops, had the first novel she ever wrote published in January of 2011. Then she capped off the year by being voted Best Author of 2011 in the LRC Awards and had her Genetic Attraction Series named runner-up for Best Series of 2011! A very good year. After an exotic life of travel all over the world and work in television, education and advertising, Tara settled in Southern California with her soul-mate husband and opened her own small marketing business. She paints, collages, and started practicing yoga “way before it was fashionable”. Passionate about diversity, justice, inclusion and new ideas, she says on her tombstone it will read, “Yes”.

Q 1) Can you please share with us a little about yourself

I write the Beautiful Boys of Romance. I knew from my first moments as a fiction writer that my books would always be distinguished by my gorgeous heroes and so far so good. I’m only a little over one year old as a published author. My first book, Genetic Attraction, came out in Jan of 2011. The book I am introducing this week, Fire Balls, is book number seven for me with another book releasing next month and two more under contract. It’s been a busy year! Most amazing is that I was recently honored to be named Best Author of 2011 in the LRC Awards and my three- book Genetic Attraction series was runner-up for best series of the year. As you can tell it’s also been a breathtaking year! I have a great (and busy) fulltime job in advertising and public relations, I am ecstatically married to my soul mate and, if I ever have a moment’s spare time, I love movies and doing mixed media collage. I practiced and taught yoga way before it was fashionable. I have a great life.

Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?

I’ve been a writer forever. I make my living as a non-fiction writer and thought for a long time that I would never write fiction because writing all day and then all night too sounded like work! But then I found erotic romance and suddenly I felt like I could write it all day every day and it would be fun. So one day a couple years ago I sat down and wrote a book. After a lot of editing and learning that book became Genetic Attraction.

Q3) Can you share with us your typical writing day. Is there anything you have to have while writing?

I am fortunate enough to get to do my “day job” at home which means I can do some writing of novels in the cracks –before I start work, on my lunch hour. Sometimes it’s no more than a few lines, but bit by bit the work gets done. Then on the weekends I write a LOT! I like to write in my home office on my desktop computer because the screens are so big, although I carry my iPad with me and also write in downtimes when I’m away from home. I don’t mind noise when I write but I can’t write easily with music playing. Background music is okay but I don’t have a writing soundtrack like many authors. Somehow it seems to interfere with my creative flow.

Q4) Most challenging or rewarding part of writing?

I love living in another world (even though my own is pretty great). I love the feeling of being absorbed in my character’s heads and hearts. That moment when they take over and just talk and you try to keep up is thrilling to me. It never gets old. The challenge is to keep getting better. To constantly learn new things, improve your style, deepen your focus.

Q5) Can you please tell us about your latest book

This week, I am introducing Fire Balls. It is a MM contemporary novella but that doesn’t begin to describe it. I love contrast in my books and the unexpected. My alpha males are never the guys you expect and I enjoy giving dominant characteristics to seemingly effeminate men. Fire Balls tells the story of a flamboyant artist who also happens to be a black belt in karate. He has a huge passion for a beautiful, conservative firefighter, but since Rodney the artist is tiny and very ostentatious he assumes that the firefighter could never love him back so he breaks his own heart but helping his friend Jerry, a surfer, to land the gorgeous man. Fire Balls is the second in my Balls to the Wall series of books that take place on the beach in southern California.

Q6) How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Last year I was delighted to be asked to submit a story for a beach anthology. I created a novella called Volley Balls which turned out to be a bestseller on the Amazon Gay Romance list. I knew I wanted to do sequel and I wanted it to have “balls” in the title so I started thinking about all the possible names. Fire Balls leaped out and with it came the germ of a story–it would involve a Laguna Beach firefighter. There was a character in Volley Balls I loved. My hero’s best friend, Rodney. So if you have a hunky firefighter, what could be a more different or unexpected match for him than a hero named Rodney who is 5’ 6” tall and flamboyant. But I wanted another twist and I thought about the old Rostand book called Cyrano de Bergerac in which the hero is a great swordsman and poet but has a big nose and considers himself unworthy of the gorgeous heroine. Consequently, he helps another man win her. That became a thread for my book–without the nose!

Q7) Can you share with us your current work in progress?

My next book being released on March 20 is my first true paranormal. It’s called Spell Cat and it’s about the greatest male witch in ten generations who is called on to save his race by marrying a powerful female witch. Problem is–he’s gay. And he’s in love with a human male which is bad since humans are the cause of the decline of witchery because they steal human energy. There is a black cat familiar in the book named Aloysius. Hence–Spell Cat. The book I am completing now for submission is a MM contemporary fantasy. What is that you ask? Ah, you will have to stay tuned. : )

Q8) Who are some of your favorite authors?

I have many favorites in my genre but I will name the three that I consider my mentors because their writing inspired me to want to try fiction — Jet Mykles, Lynn Lorenz and Z. A. Maxfield. They are all friends now and I have learned so much from them. They inspire me every day.

Q9) Do you feel that any of your favorite authors have inspired your writing style?

I see a little bit of all three of them in my writing. I love Jet’s over-the-top heroes and I know mine share some of that characteristic. Lynn captures emotion so magnificently and I try to do the same. ZAM writes in this witty, youthful voice that inspires me. They all make me want to get better every day.

Q10) What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Oh sigh. I feel like my poor Kindle is bursting at the seams. I have so many books I want to start I can barely decide where to begin. Right now I am reading Josh Lanyon. Always a good choice.

Q11) Is there anything else you would like to add?

This has been an amazing first year for me as an author. So many people–authors, editors, reviewers, and readers– have helped me and still do! I can only say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Would you like to win a

copy of Fire Balls?

Enter my contest. I’m having a drawing this coming Friday. Leave a comment here with your email and you’ll be entered in that drawing. Go over to my Contest Blog http://beautifulboysbooks.blogspot.com and leave another comment with your email and you will be entered Again. And there are more chances to Win. Go to my Web Site http://www.taralain.com and look under events. It’s all there. First leave your comment here. And thank you to so much to Books n Kisses for being such wonderful hosts. And thank you so much for coming to say hi. Leave a comment and don’t forget the email. : )